Yeah, it's standard procedure, which is why they in recent history typically don't attend these events unless they're of global significance (the Olympics, World Cup, etc.) or national significance (post-9/11 events, for example).
Trump has done it multiple times now across several sports. And while I honestly believe there's a decent chance he's a legitimate Knicks fan, I still can't get past the selfishness of it—if you're supposedly a fan—because you're effectively gutting your team's home-court advantage during its best opportunity in half a century.
The Spurs are supposed to have to deal with the commute into MSG, with a rabid crowd letting them hear it all the way from the hotel to the tunnel of the MSG parking lot. Then they're supposed to deal with that same energy again once they step onto the court.
Instead, you've cleared the streets outside and created a distraction big enough to shift the focus of the entire arena. Bad enough that the loudest of the fanbase won't be able to attend due to prices.
